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Eyes on the wall | Kentwood gymnast Zoe Krambule has her eyes set on a top ten FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 finish at state championship meet. [9]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Court of Appeals rules for YarrowBay development BY DENNIS BOX dbox@maplevalleyreporter.com
The state Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in favor of YarrowBay in a Land Use Petition Act appeal filed against the two master planned developments in Black Diamond on Monday. The three-judge panel of C. Kenneth Grosse, Ronald E. Cox and James Verellen found Phil Olbrechts, the city’s hearing examiner, properly applied the “rule of reason” in finding that the environmental impact statement adequately addressed the impacts from the developments. The judges also found that Olbrechts was correct in allowing, “the use of phased review to defer further analysis of adverse
environmental impacts until the time of construction…” The appeal was filed by Toward Responsible Development, a group of citizens listed on the court document as Cynthia and William Wheeler, Robert Edelman, Peter Rimbos, Michael Irrgang, Judith Carrier, Eugene May, Vicki Harp, Cindy Proctor and the Estate of William C. Harp. The appeal was first heard by King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi on Aug. 3, 2012. Oishi dismissed the petition Aug. 27, 2012 and TRD decided to ask the Court of Appeals to review the decision. David Bricklin, the attorney representing the appellants, wrote by email Monday evening, “We are disappointed, of course. We
believe the former Council’s decisions were unlawful. We have the option of asking the state Supreme Court to review the case.” Edelman, one of the founding members of TRD, wrote by email Monday, “I’m waiting for a detailed review by David Bricklin so we don’t have a decision to petition the Supreme Court at this time. As David wrote to you, that is a viable option.” The 39-page opinion from the appeals judges cited the appellants’ challenges and stated in each case either the hearing examiner made the correct decision or TRD failed to show Olbrechts’ or the City Council’s decision was wrong. In one section the judges wrote TRD
challenged the development permits stating the City Council did not account for traffic and noise mitigation. “TRD’s contention that traffic and noise impacts were not adequately mitigated is likewise without merit,” the judges wrote. The court document stated a LUPA petition must establish the government land use decision is in error according to state code and the burden of establishing this rests with the appellants. The judges ruled the appellants did not meet this standard and deferred to the decisions rendered by the hearing examiner and the City Council when it approved the developments in September 2010.
Tahoma responds to school levy opposition
Felony charges for bizarre burglary
BY KATHERINE SMITH
BY ERIC MANDEL
ksmith@maplevalleyreporter.com
emandel@covingtonreporter.com
A group of three people submitted nearly identical statements in King County voters’ guides opposing 10 school district’s levies, including Tahoma’s. Tahoma is among 16 school districts in King County that are putting levies before voters on Feb. 11. The Enumclaw, Kent, Issaquah, Shoreline, and Snoqualmie Valley school districts are running levies, but the districts did not request a voters’ guide per the King County elections website. Other districts in the county that are running levies and did request voters’ guides are Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Fife, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, Skykomish, and Vashon Island. Of those 11 districts, 10 have nearly
In the ultimate wardrobe malfunction, a Maple Valley woman helped nab an alleged burglar after seeing the suspect at a restaurant wearing her stolen clothing. According to the King County Sheriff ’s Department, the woman, who has asked to not be identified for safety reasons, reported her momentarily unattended purse stolen the morning of Jan. 22 at a Starbucks in the 27100 block of 168th Place in Covington by a then-unknown suspect who fled the store. The suspect used a key and address information from inside the purse to enter the woman’s nearby home, steal multiple items and change into woman’s clothing. “It all happened under 90 minutes,” said the woman, a Maple
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McGuire, who graduated from Kentwood last year and was drafted by the Pittsburgh For The Love Of Reese Pirates in the first round of Major League Baseball’s 2013 First-year player draft, helps a young player at a baseball skills clinic for elementary age students put on by the Kentwood baseball The Game team on Monday. KATHERINE SMITH, The Reporter
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